Startup Summer Ignition Week: Day 2

By: Anjelica Garcia, Development Intern, NFTE NY Metro

What exactly is branding? According to Startup Summer participant Rohman Martin, “[Branding] is a way to get your business noticed.” In order to further analyze the nature and importance of brand identity, Startup Summer instructor Tara Bellevue projects a cluster of random logos. Among the brands represented are BMW, Rosetta Stone, XBox 360, McDonalds and Apple. The students are asked to describe the emotions they associate with each logo. Students have a lot to say about these familiar companies and brands like Apple and BMW stir up the most conversation. Students throw around buzz words like innovation, longevity, luxury, and prestige. As the students share their reactions, I realize just how passionate and enthusiastic each young entrepreneur is about business in general.

Next on the agenda: mission statement and vision. Without hesitation, each student recites their businesses’ mission from memory and awaits constructive criticism from their peers. The students then compare the mission statements of well known companies and work on perfecting their own. In the coming days, the students will begin intensive market research and perform on the spot interviews with potential consumers on the streets of New York City. As the students continue to craft the public persona of their businesses, I’m excited to see where their innovative thinking will take them in the near future.